


Of Aliens and Second Chances

by CeriseHood5050



Series: Ruane [1]
Category: Sarah Jane Adventures
Genre: Adventure, F/F, Family, Romance, Second Chances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:53:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25134184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CeriseHood5050/pseuds/CeriseHood5050
Summary: Ruby is back, but she is after a sweeter dish than revenge. Sky is caught up in the middle of it all.
Relationships: Sarah Jane Smith/Ruby White
Series: Ruane [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1840342
Kudos: 4





	1. The Return of Ruby White

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first story writing from Sky's perspective.  
> This story is a sequel to the episode 'Goodbye Sarah Jane Smith' and is set after Series 5 of The Sarah Jane Adventures.

‘Sarah Jane, is everything all right?’ I ask. Today was a busy day at school, and I have something I want to tell Sarah Jane. I am so excited to see Sarah Jane and tell her what happened at school; I hadn’t even taken off my school uniform. But the way I found Sarah Jane standing in the attic, the colour drained from her face made me forget about the news I wanted to tell my adopted mother. ‘Mum?’  
‘Hello, Sky.’ Sarah Jane finally turns to me but doesn’t give me a warm, comforting smile that she usually does.  
‘What’s going on?’  
‘Mr Smith intercepted a signal coming from an abandoned factory. It seems to be Dark Horde, but…’  
‘Clyde said you stopped them before.’  
‘Yes, but,’ Sarah Jane pauses while trying to think of the right thing to say. ‘We had help.’  
‘Were they alien?’ I ask gently. Sarah Jane nods.

‘It was a scary time then, Sky,’ Sarah Jane sits me down on the stair before joining me. ‘The alien’s name was Ruby White; she was a Qetesh. Ruby had a 5-D hologram games console named Mr White. She created the Dark Horde to attract her attention so she could…’ Sarah Jane shudders. She must not want to tell me the rest of it. ‘I thought I was losing my memory, Mr Smith scanned me, but… It was all her. Ruby used us all, Clyde and I were lucky to get out of it. If it weren’t for Rani, Luke and K-9…’ Sarah Jane shudders again. ‘It’s not worth thinking about.’

‘Is there a chance it could be her?’  
‘I don’t doubt it.’  
‘Should we wait for Clyde and Rani?’  
‘If we wait, it could make everything worse. I’ll leave Clyde and Rani a note telling them where we are; then we’ll go.’ Sarah Jane finds a pad and pen, scribbles down an address and picks up her handbag. She never knows what she will need when she gets out of the door, so Sarah Jane always finds it useful to take the essentials; sometimes a little more than necessary. ‘Come on, Sky, let’s go.’ I head out of the door, Sarah Jane following behind me.

Sarah Jane makes sure to lock up the house. We climb into the Nissan Green Figaro and set off.

When we arrive outside the factory, Sarah Jane stares up at the metal building. ‘Do all factories and power plants look like that?’ I ask.  
‘Most of them,’ Sarah Jane says.  
‘You’re nervous about going in there, aren’t you?’  
‘Of course, I am. Once you’ve been through what I’ve had, you wouldn’t want to meet that person again.’  
‘What did Ruby do to you?’  
‘It’s better to have that conversation inside, Sky.’ Sarah Jane begins to lead the way up the gravel path and through the open door. The open door is enough to freak her out a little.

When we enter, there are several doors. One of them is standing open. ‘The Qetesh must be through here,’ Sarah Jane says. She is about to go through the open door when I stop her.  
‘What about the other doors, Mum?’  
‘We’ll look in there if we can’t find her.’  
‘But what did Ruby do to you? That’s what I don’t understand. If she-’ The door behind us slams shut with a bang. I almost jump into Sarah Jane’s arms, crying.

‘It’s all right, Sky,’ Sarah Jane says, stroking my hair. ‘The wind must have blown it shut. The best we can do is go forward.’ I nod, and the two of us walk through the open doorway.

A computer screen is facing us. I sit down on the gaming chair and turn the computer on while Sarah Jane stands guard. ‘Someone was here,’ I say. ‘The device was last accessed a few minutes ago.’  
‘Do you know who it was?’ I begin searching for what I can but find nothing. ‘Worth a shot.’ The door behind us shuts with a bang.  
‘That can’t have been the wind, so we’re not alone,’ I say. I turn back to the computer and begin typing.  
‘Sky, what are you doing?’  
‘I need to know everything I can about this Ruby White person if we have to face her again. You are not helping me by not telling me what happened to you.’ I turn back to Sarah Jane.  
‘I think I should tell you that when you’re older.’  
‘I think I need to know now. You are not helping by hiding things.’

‘She has a point, Sarah Jane,’ a female voice says. Sarah Jane steps closer to me and puts a defensive arm around me. Her sonic lipstick is already uncapped and pointed at the shadows. ‘You are not helping her case.’  
‘And what do you know about being a mother?’ Sarah Jane snaps. The voice stays silent, but I can see the twinkle of brown eyes in the darkness, the outline of a humanoid. The woman must be Ruby, I consider. She looks different to how I imagined she would look. ‘Exactly, so don’t go around giving criticism when you have no experience of being a mother. By the way, how long did it take to get out of that prison of yours?’  
‘A couple of months, I had to get creative.’  
‘How?’  
‘I’m not falling into that trap. And do you mind where you point that thing?’  
‘Well, excuse me if I want to take precautions.’

I wheel the chair out of Sarah Jane’s reach while she is distracted by whoever is in the shadows. ‘I’m not here to harm you.’ Sarah Jane scoffs. ‘I’m not!’  
‘Why do you think I would trust you after you almost ate me?’ I decide to use the time to analyse my surroundings, see if there is anything useful other than the computer. If Ruby is going to try and eat Mum again, I want to defend her at least; give her enough time to run away.

There is a strange red blob thing nearby, and I decide that is something I don’t want to touch. It is giving off a strange light, warning of danger. I turn my head away, so I don’t have to look at it anymore. Next to it are a bunch of wires. While I can influence electricity, I wouldn’t know what to do with them.

‘Please, Sarah Jane, give me a chance,’ I turn back to the two women.  
‘As if! You manipulated us once before; I won’t let you do that again.’  
‘I can see where you’re getting that idea from.’ I return to my search. ‘I’m sorry about what I did to you.’  
‘Sorry isn’t going to cut it, Ruby. Come on, Sky, we should go.’

The three of us hear a crash from upstairs. ‘Oh, no,’ Ruby breathes. ‘They found me.’  
‘We’re going. Sky, let’s go.’ The ceiling above me begins to buckle. ‘Sky, get away from there!’ I dive away from that part of the roof at the last second. 

The roof crashes where I was seconds before. ‘Sky! She must have gone the other way.’  
‘Mum!’ I yell.  
‘Sky, are you all right?’  
‘I’m fine, but the spaceship is blocking my path. I can’t get through.’  
‘There is another way through,’ Ruby says. ‘But these are likely to be the Qetesh that are tailing me.’  
‘Why are they doing that?’  
‘They want me to go back for treatment or something like that. But since I met you, I’ve been better than I was.’  
‘Yes, yes, yes. The other way through to Sky?’  
‘It’s this way,’

There is not much I can do, so I keep watch of the ship. Nothing is happening. I will not touch anything. Some of it looks dangerous, and I had enough excitement for one day. ‘Mum will come and get me,’ I say. I turn to look at everything else around me and scream.


	2. Escaping from the Qetesh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sky has to escape before something happens to her.

Great, I am stuck in the same place as the red blob thing I saw earlier. It backed away a little when I screamed; I probably scared it more than it scared me. It growls at me, a warning to stay back. ‘What are you?’ I ask. A blue and white light surrounds it, and it begins to take on a different form. Almost like I did when I first faced the Metalkind. The blob begins to take on a more human appearance, a girl if I can see correctly. She looks around my age- the age Mum claims I am. I step back, almost into the spaceship that crashed.   
‘Whoa, take it easy, I’m not going to hurt you,’ the girl says. She helps me move away from the ship and sits me down. ‘You’re Sky, right?’ I nod, trying to catch my breath. ‘I’m Jade,’ Jade reaches her hand out. I let her shake my hand. After everything that already happened, I’m trying to work out whether Jade is my friend or my foe.   
‘Are you related to Ruby?’   
‘Not exactly. I was born in a different family, but because Ruby’s original stomach was destroyed when she last came to Earth, she had to find a replacement. She offered a lot of money for anyone willing to do it.’   
‘So, you took the money and became her servant?’ Jade stares at the ground.   
‘My family forced me to do it. As I am the oldest out of all my siblings, I must help make their lives better. No one wanted Ruby back in society, and so we’re willing to do anything to make her leave. Well, my family was. I never wanted to be her stomach.’

‘So is the stomach meant to be part of the same being?’   
‘Hmm-hmm,’ Jade nods. ‘Ruby was stupid last time. She went after a journalist and got her stomach blown up.’   
‘Mum did say she met Ruby before,’ I consider. ‘But she won’t tell me about what happened.’   
‘Any of a Qetesh’s victims who survive would naturally have a traumatic experience, your mum’s no different.’ She smiles at me. ‘Come on, let’s get out of here.’   
‘But Mum said she’ll try and get through.’   
‘Ruby’s leading her in the wrong direction. It would be better if we go to find your Mum rather than her coming to us. We’ll be here for hours otherwise, maybe a couple of days.’ We stand up, and Jade finds a door.

The only problem is that rubble is covering the doorway. ‘I’ll help you move it,’ I say, and we begin moving some of the heavier pieces away. Jade pulls the door open, only to find that some of the corridors have caved in.   
‘It looks dangerous, but we can manage it. Come on, let’s go find your Mum.’ Jade leads the way as we begin climbing over different pieces of rubble; some from the ceiling, some from the walls.   
‘Do you know your way around here?’   
‘Nope, but I think I have a better sense than Ruby.’   
‘At least that’s something.’ We continue to climb on in silence.

When we finally reach another door, we find it leads outside. Mum’s car is still there, so that should mean she’s still here. ‘I’ll text Mum to tell her where I am.’ I find my phone and send Mum a text. When I look at Jade, I am blown away by her beauty.

Jade’s brown hair is blowing gently in the wind and her green eyes sparkle. She is wearing a red crop top with long sleeves and blue jeans. She smiles at me. ‘I didn’t realise you were so beautiful,’ I say. I blush when I realise what I said and turn away.   
‘You’ve got nothing to be ashamed about, Sky. Has your Mum replied yet?’ I check my phone. As I am about to switch it off, I see a text from Mum.

_Mum: Thank goodness you are safe. I’ll be there soon. Just need to lose Ruby. Stay safe._

Yeah, it sounds like the sort of thing Mum would say. I want to tell her about Jade, but I don’t know how she will react to that. I let my phone’s screen go dark. ‘What do you think about Ruby?’ I ask Jade.   
‘She’s pretty cool; she lets me do what I want within reason. I have two rooms to myself- one is my bedroom and the other I use as a playroom. I have pictures if you want to see.’   
‘Sure.’ Jade pulls out her phone which has a sparkly rainbow case and switches it on. ‘Is that a phone or a piece of alien technology?’   
‘It’s alien technology disguised to look like a phone. It makes it easy to hide it and use it in plain sight.’   
‘Cool.’ Jade finds her pictures and begins to show me.

‘Before we left Qetanish, Ruby let me go into whatever shops I wanted. She gave me an allowance of £500 in your money. I was able to buy this and a couple of other bits to start decorating my playroom. I’m there most of the time.’ Jade shows me her bed with tall legs. There is a cord between each of the legs and curtains that slide across them. Then, she shows me the bookcase full of toys, books and alien artefacts.   
‘Your place looks amazing,’ I say. ‘I wish I can see it at some point.’   
‘I’m sure you will,’ Jade smiles. ‘Can I get your number? I would like to stay in touch if that’s all right.’   
‘Okay.’ We swap numbers just as Mum and Ruby walk out of the building.

‘Sky!’ Mum yells. ‘Thank goodness you’re safe.’   
‘Mum!’ Mum pulls me into a hug before turning to Ruby.   
‘You’ve already caused enough damage here. My daughter almost died today.’   
‘She is always going to be in danger, considering the lifestyle you lead.’   
‘That’s not the point. You knew those aliens were coming.’   
‘I knew they would, but I didn’t know where or when. Sarah Jane, please. Think about what I said.’   
‘The answer’s still no. I have no reason to help you.’   
‘Jade, then. At least help Jade, please.’   
‘The answer is still no. You and Jade can fend for yourselves.’

‘How can you say that?!’ I yell. ‘You know nothing about what Jade went through.’   
‘No, I don’t, but I know better than to let Ruby or anyone associated with her back into my life.’ Mum turns back to Ruby.

‘I’ll be starting at Park Vale next week,’ Jade whispers. ‘We will be in the same classes.’   
‘That’s great. I can’t wait.’   
‘You have my number if you need me before then.’ I nod. ‘See you next week.’ Mum splutters.   
‘Next week?!’   
‘Jade’s going to my school next week,’ I say. Mum doesn’t say anything about that, but I can tell that she’s trying to work out what she can do to make sure Jade and I don’t meet. There is not much she can do about it.

While we are driving back, Mum starts shouting at me. ‘She could have killed you, Sky!’   
‘But she didn’t. Jade helped me get out of there, Mum.’   
‘She’s probably got some other motivation. She would not have helped you for your benefit. There is always something else behind it.’   
‘Not this time. Jade’s emotions were genuine.’   
‘And I thought Ruby’s emotions were genuine. I was almost dead by the time Clyde, Rani and Luke saved me! That is why you cannot trust Jade. I don’t want you going anywhere near her again.’ I stare out of the window, trying not to cry. The last thing either of us needs is a bust car because I started crying. I can never express how I truly feel because of my powers. In times like these, it makes me mad.

Clyde and Rani are waiting for us when we get back. They are in the attic, so they must have heard from Mr Smith what happened. ‘Are you both okay?’ Rani asks as soon as we enter the attic.   
‘Yes, thank you,’ Mum tries to muster up a smile but fails.   
‘Another run-in with Ruby White, when is she ever going to give up?’ Clyde asks.   
‘Not anytime soon, I don’t think.’ Mum bites her lip.   
‘Should we call Luke, tell him what happened?’   
‘No, I don’t want Luke worrying unnecessarily. There is nothing we should be concerned about- yet.’ I go to my room to complete my homework.

I do not want to tell Mum about my news. She will only worry about me. I think about what my friends talked about; the new girl arriving at school next week. Could they have met Jade?

Now I am referring Sarah Jane as ‘Mum’, I must now be a Smith. But does being a Smith mean that you go behind your Mum’s back to befriend the one person she told you to stay away from?


	3. The Weekend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke has returned from university. Sky isn't sure what to do. Sarah Jane has a secret of her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short, but I wanted to get it out there. I hope you enjoy it.

I still have to get through the weekend before Monday morning. This weekend is different as Luke is coming home. I haven’t seen him since the incident with the Serf Board, so it should be fun.

That’s only if your idea of fun involves your brother giving you hugs almost every second because you faced a soul-stealing alien the other day.

I keep quiet about Jade; it is the best thing I can do. No one asks, so I don’t tell. Mum says nothing about her, other than the fact she was with me when she arrived. I don’t want to say to others what happened, so I stay quiet.

‘Are you two okay?’ Luke asks.   
‘We’re both alive,’ Mum says, a little grudgingly. ‘I’m glad Sky wasn’t hurt.’   
‘Jade helped me out of that room,’ I say. ‘She probably saved my life.’   
‘Jade?’ Luke asks, confused. Mum gives me a look, warning me not to say anything else. I keep my mouth shut, knowing it is for the best. If I want to see Jade again, I will keep my mouth shut. I will not mention her in front of Luke again.

When I go to my room, I unlock my phone and text Jade.

**Me: Hi Jade, it’s Sky  
Jade: Hi Sky. Great to hear from you so soon. How are things?  
Me: Luke’s home. Nothing else important going on. The weekend will probably drag  
Jade: It will be Monday before you know it  
Me: I hope so**

Mum knocks on my door before I get Jade’s reply. ‘You okay, Sky? You’re quiet.’   
‘Why wouldn’t you help Jade?’   
‘That’s a complicated answer,’ Mum sits down with a sigh. ‘You probably picked up on our interactions that Ruby and I are not on the best of terms.’   
‘That seems to be putting it lightly.’   
‘Yes, but because of what Ruby did to Clyde and me, I don’t feel like I can ever trust her. As Jade is associated with her, I can’t trust her.’   
‘Jade said she didn’t want to be Ruby’s stomach, her family sold her.’   
‘Ruby did say that, but I didn’t know whether to believe it or not. She does have a habit of making people believe what she wants them to think.’ Mum’s phone rings, and she smiles. I look at her screen and see that Ruby is calling.

‘If you don’t want to help Ruby, and you don’t like her, why are you smiling?’   
‘What? No, I’m not smiling!’ Mum still has that smile on her face.   
‘Did you swap numbers with her as Jade and I did?’ Mum splutters, which I can only confirm as a yes. She nods. ‘Do you like her?’   
‘Sky, she’s just someone who might need help.’   
‘You might want to take that.’ Mum nods and answers the call. I turn back to my phone to find a message from Jade.

**Jade: Ruby’s calling your mum. The Qetesh that crashed the other day are hunting for me. They want to kill me, so we’re trying to find somewhere safe to go.**

I look up at Mum, who is still talking to Ruby. ‘Are you sure you can’t go back to your old place?’ I look back on my phone.

**Me: Do you know why they want to kill you?  
Jade: No, I think my old family (except my grandmother) has something to do with it**

‘Right,’ Mum nods. ‘Yes, I think we can arrange something. Come round on Monday while everyone is at school. I’ll make sure Sky brings Jade back from school. We should arrange something by then. Yes, I’ll let her know. That’s all right. Bye.’

Mum still has that smile when she hangs up. ‘Change of plan,’ she says, sitting beside me. ‘I will let you see Jade. Why don’t you bring her around tomorrow?’   
‘All right. What made you change your mind?’   
‘I’ll have Ruby come here while you, Clyde and Rani are at school. Mr Smith can tell if she is telling the truth. After that, we can go from there.’ I nod. It seems like a good idea for now.   
‘What if Ruby is telling the truth? What do we do then?’   
‘We’ll figure it out when we get to that part.’

Monday will come soon. The Qetesh that want to kill Jade better watch out.


	4. Monday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sky is at school with Jade, but something surprising is happening at home.

When Monday morning arrives, I jump out of bed and throw my school uniform on. I can’t wait to get out of the house and see Jade again. She must already know of what is going on; Ruby should have told her. Clyde and Rani arrive while I am having breakfast, and we are about to set off for school when we hear a knock at the door. Mum runs to get it. ‘Sky, Jade is here!’ I hurry to the door to see Jade smiling at me.   
‘Hi,’ she says. ‘I was going to school, but I wondered if you wanted to come with me.’   
‘Sure,’ I say. ‘Clyde, Rani!’ They come to the door and greet Jade.   
‘So, this is the Jade that saved your life?’ Clyde asks.   
‘Yes,’ I smile. I will not say anything else about why Jade was at the factory that day. We head out onto Bannerman Road and go to school.

‘Clyde and Rani are in the sixth form, so we don’t see much of them at school,’ I explain. ‘However, I have some friends you can hang out with for a few days, so you don’t feel alone.’   
‘Thank you,’ Jade smiles. ‘It feels strange that I’m joining so late in the year.’   
‘I only joined a couple of months ago, so I know how strange it can be.’ When we arrive at school, Clyde and Rani walk to the sixth form section, and I take Jade to my friends, Samantha and Tilly. ‘Hi, Sam, Tilly.’

‘Hi, Sky,’ Tilly says. ‘Hey, Jade. Great to see you.’   
‘Have you two met before?’ Sam asks.   
‘Yes, we met last week,’ Tilly agrees. ‘Our parents are friends.’   
‘Ruby’s not my mum,’ Jade says. ‘She only looks after me because my own family don’t want me.’   
‘I’m sorry to hear that.’ The bell rings. ‘Come on; we don’t want to be late for class. We’ll show you around during break time.’ Jade nods, and we all walk to our first lesson, history.

During lunchtime, we hang out together. ‘So, where are you from?’ Sam asks.   
‘I don’t like talking about my past,’ Jade says. ‘My family hated me; Ruby is the only person who treated me with love and respect.’ We decide to move onto another topic and begin talking about the English project our teacher gave us.   
‘I hate Shakespeare,’ Tilly says.   
‘Shakespeare is awesome,’ I say. ‘He is the reason why we have a lot of the sayings we do today.’   
‘What website did you pick that up from?’ Mr Smith told me that, but I’m not about to tell Sam and Tilly about his existence.   
‘I can’t remember now.’ The bell rings, and we disperse. Tilly and Sam have woodwork, while Jade and I have gym.

‘Do you want to come around later?’ I ask Jade as we walk to the changing rooms.   
‘I’d like that,’ she nods. We pass Clyde and Rani in the playground, and I wave to them. They wave back, and we continue to the gym.

When the bell rings for the final time that day, we all head out of school. Clyde and Rani catch up with us, and I introduce them to Jade. ‘Were you the one that helped Sky during the Ruby White episode?’ Clyde asks.   
‘Yes, I was,’ Jade looks slightly uncomfortable, not that Clyde and Rani seem to notice.   
‘Great work, Jade,’ Rani says. ‘You are truly one of us.’

It takes us ten minutes for us to walk back to Bannerman Road, and we all approach 13 Bannerman Road. The front door is standing open. ‘No, not again.’ Clyde moans, and we all run up to the attic. ‘Sarah Jane, did you know you-’ Clyde stops talking.

Ruby White is standing in the attic.

‘Sarah Jane, what is she doing here?’   
‘Clyde, there is nothing to worry about,’ Mum says. ‘Ruby needs our help.’   
‘She almost killed us last time. What changed?’   
‘There are Qetesh that want to kill me,’ Jade says. Rani and Clyde turn to her, astounded. ‘I know I should have told you sooner, but I didn’t know what to say. I’m sorry.’   
‘It’s all right, Jade,’ Rani says. ‘But we need to know why they want to kill you.’   
‘Before I left home, I started siding with some of the species that most Qetesh view as food. If I stayed, they would have killed me. Ruby did me a favour by helping me leave.’

Yes, that follows the same sort of story that Jade told me, but I never knew the part of her views changing. ‘You never told me about your views changing,’ I said. Jade turns to me.   
‘I couldn’t tell whether I could trust you, Sky. I’m sorry.’   
‘It’s all right. Now I find myself apologising for almost everything that happens.’   
‘You shouldn’t have to do that,’ Mum says. ‘We’re here to support you. You’re among friends here, Jade.’

‘I think I have a plan so the Qetesh will stop looking for Jade,’ Ruby says. ‘However, it won’t come without its risks.’   
‘Jade is one of us now,’ Clyde says. ‘We always look out for one another, and we will do the same for Jade.’   
‘You haven’t even heard what the plan is yet.’   
‘No, but it’s to help Jade. If it has a chance of succeeding, it’s worth a shot. Rani, what do you think?’   
‘I’d rather hear about the plan first,’ Rani says. ‘I still can’t trust Ruby, but we may as well give it a go. So, Ruby, what is your idea?’   
‘The Qetesh are already on Earth, which puts us at a disadvantage. They will not attack Jade while she is in public, meaning that her going to Park Vale helps. The best thing we can do is always to keep Jade in the open. Sky, Clyde, Rani, can I trust you to do that?’   
‘You can trust us,’ Rani nods.   
‘I can ask Sam and Tilly if they want to go into town tomorrow with Jade and me,’ I say. I quickly text my friends to see if they are free.

**_Sam: I’m free tomorrow. I’d love to come into town. We can discuss it at school.  
Tilly: I’m up for it. See you tomorrow._ **

‘Both Sam and Tilly are free, which helps,’ I smile.   
‘Good, that’s a big help,’ Ruby says. ‘Sarah Jane, can you help me come up with something we can do to help send the Qetesh away?’   
‘I’ve got just the thing,’ Mum smiles. She hurries over to the safe I noticed in the wall when I first arrived and pulls something out of it.

It is an oval shape, with a blue oval screen in the middle and two blue oval buttons on either side of the screen. Rani gasps. Ruby looks startled. Clyde almost says something rude but stops himself in time.   
‘Sarah Jane, you can’t be serious,’ Rani says.   
‘We have to protect this planet, by any means,’ Mum says.   
‘It will be best if we keep Mr White here,’ Ruby says. ‘I know you, Clyde and Rani don’t trust me, so if we keep him up here and Mr Smith keeps monitoring what’s going on, you’ll know what he is doing.’   
‘If you’re sure.’   
‘I am,’ Ruby stares at Mr White. ‘I already caused you a lot of trouble with him. If you keep him up here, then you know I cannot tamper with anything.’

Clyde and Rani go home soon afterwards; Rani’s mum has called her non-stop, asking her what time she will return home. Clyde is going to help his mum out with some things. ‘We want to make sure someone is with Jade,’ Ruby says. ‘We can make sure Jade has some protection.’   
‘That’s a good idea,’ Mum nods. ‘Jade, do you want to stay around here tonight?’   
‘You sure?’ Jade asks.   
‘Yes,’ Mum nods.   
‘I’ll go and get some clothes from home for you,’ Ruby says.   
‘You better get some for yourself as well,’ Mum says. ‘As if I’ll let Jade stay here and not you. The Qetesh know that you are caring for Jade.’   
‘Which is why I should not be here. The Qetesh could come to all sorts of assumptions.’   
‘Let them,’ Mum shrugs. ‘You and Jade are our top priorities now. Let the Qetesh think what they want.’ Ruby nods and leaves the attic to collect some clothes.


	5. The First Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things take an interesting turn while Sky is away...

The next morning, I meet Jade downstairs. ‘You nervous about today?’ I ask her. Jade nods.   
‘I always feared the Qetesh, especially those after me. I hope Ruby and Sarah Jane will be safe here.’  
‘Mum faced the Qetesh before, and with Ruby by her side, they should be the perfect team.’

Mum and Ruby joined us after a few minutes. Mum doesn’t have a story to send to the editor yet, so she said she would help Ruby lay a trap for the Qetesh. She puts the kettle on to make some tea when Clyde walks through. ‘Morning, Clyde,’ Mum smiles. ‘You off to school?’   
‘Just about, but I thought I would check in on you lot before I headed off. I see there were no sneaky attacks last night.’ Mum hits Clyde with a tea towel. He checks his watch as he laughs. ‘As we want Jade to be in public as much as possible, it would be a good idea if we set off sooner rather than later.’  
‘Good thinking,’ Mum nods, slipping some money into my bag so I can buy dinner at school. It’s not that her cooking’s terrible. No, that is what I am saying. Mum has never been the best cook, and she won’t get an award for her cooking any time soon. ‘Right, we’ll see you girls later. Sky, can you text me the time you should be heading back?’  
‘Sure, I’ll talk to my friends and see how long they want to be in town for.’ 

The school day was as exciting as usual. I learnt so much, and I can’t wait to do my homework. But I must refrain myself. Jade needs me now. We go into town with Sam and Tilly and mess around for a while. I text Mum around half an hour later to let her know we will start heading back in around ten minutes.

 **Sarah Jane: That’s** **great, see you soon**

When we get back, Jade as I head straight for the attic. Mum and Ruby should be up there, and we won’t be disturbing anything important.

How wrong I was. 

When we burst into the attic, we couldn’t find Mum or Ruby. We only had to turn around to find out why that was. Sitting on the chaise sofa is Mum and Ruby, and they seemed to be... Kissing? Surely that can’t be. Jade and I look at each other before slowly backing out of the room. What happened to cause Mum and Ruby to start kissing?

I should have seen this coming; the way Mum let Ruby stay over, the way she smiled when Ruby called her. It all makes sense. I groan when I realise what I missed. ‘Sky, Jade, we know you’re out there,’ Mum says. ‘Ruby can smell you.’ Well, that’s it. The jig is up. We must go in. I open the door, and we walk inside.

‘How was your day?’ Mum asks.  
‘It was good,’ I say. ‘How was yours?’  
‘It was… interesting.’ Mum and Ruby make eye contact before looking away again. ‘Ruby, Jade, is it all right if I have a few minutes alone with my daughter?’  
‘Of course,’ Ruby nods, and leads Jade out of the attic.

‘What is it?’ I ask Mum before sitting down on the sofa beside her. ‘Is it about that kiss?’  
‘Yes, it is. Sky, Ruby and I love each other.’  
‘What made you change your mind about hating her?’  
‘I’m not sure. We hung out a lot today, and I think that helped me understand her side of the story better. Sky, do you mind if I start seeing her?’  
‘Of course not.’ I pull Mum into a hug, as that seems to be the right thing to do in this sort of situation. Mum hugs me back.

Ruby enters the attic a few minutes later. ‘At least Sky is happy about us seeing each other,’ Mum says. ‘But I’m worried about what Clyde, Rani and Luke will say. They knew Ruby before we started seeing each other, and so may not be happy with our decision.’  
‘I’ll keep quiet until you are ready to tell them,’ I promise my parents.

We hear a scream of alarm coming from downstairs. ‘Oh, no!’ Ruby cries. ‘Jade is down there!’


	6. Intruding Qetesh

When we get down there, the Qetesh are grabbing Jade, clutching her tightly. ‘Let me go, please,’ Jade begs.   
‘You should know we don’t have better natures,’ one of them growls.   
‘Hand Jade over, now,’ Ruby stays, standing in between the Qetesh and us.   
‘Why should we?’   
‘I’ll never go back. You can trust me on that.’ The Qetesh huddle together to think everything over. There should be nothing to think over. They don’t want Ruby to return, and handing Jade over will be the best option for them.  
‘You want her?’   
‘Yes,’ Ruby says. ‘We will never bother you again.’   
‘You are bothering us. You made friends with humans. We saw you kissing one.’   
‘Hey, don’t you dare call me out on that! You all abandoned me!’  
‘Unless you destroy the human you kissed, we are not letting you have Jade.’   
‘Either way, someone dies,’ I realise. I wish it isn’t that way. Maybe the Qetesh will relent. Perhaps they will let Jade walk free.   
‘Yes,’ the Qetesh says. ‘Make your choice, Ruby White. The girl or your precious human friend? Who will you sacrifice?’   
‘Neither.’   
‘Then, they both die.’

‘Ruby, you can’t do that!’ I say. ‘One of them should live.’   
‘But I should not have to make that decision! Sarah told me that one life is as sacred as an entire planet; she is right.’  
‘But two lives shouldn’t have to end.’   
‘We’ll make it three if you don’t hurry up and choose.’ Do they want to kill me too?!   
‘Ruby, please, save Sky,’ Mum says. ‘She’s so young, barely starting in life.’ Ruby turns to the Qetesh.   
‘I made my decision. I want to save Sarah Jane and Sky.’ Jade is staring at the floor, hoping to be anywhere but here. She begins nodding.   
‘Yes, Sarah Jane and Sky deserve to live. They have nothing to do with everything going on,’ she says. Why is she lying? We know what is going on. Ruby guides Mum and me out of the room.

‘Why is she lying?’ Mum asks. ‘We know about what is going on.’   
‘She is lying to protect you!’ Ruby hisses. ‘If the Qetesh know that either of you knows about us, they will kill you on the spot. Jade is doing you a favour.’  
‘But we said we would protect Jade!’ I cry. ‘Now we’re handing her over to the people who want to kill her. We promised that we would do what we could.’   
‘I’m sorry, Sky, but this is over our heads,’ Mum says. I run out of the front door and towards the park.

The park is the best place for me to cry. There will be no electronics I can set off by my tears. After a few minutes, Ruby finds me. She sits on the swing beside me. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t do more,’ she says. ‘Jade was protecting you.’   
‘It’s not just that I was thinking about,’ I say. ‘A lot happened since I arrived on Earth.’   
‘Do you want to talk about it?’ I nod and turn to her.   
‘One of the Fleshkind, Ms Myers, made me as a bomb to destroy her enemies, the Metalkind. Sarah Jane found me and gave me a home. However, when I was a bomb, I could influence electricity. I can still do it if I’m upset and angry; that’s why I run out of the house.’   
‘I see,’ Ruby nods. ‘When I first arrived on Earth, I was hell-bent on destroying the planet. I very nearly ate Sarah Jane.’ Ruby shakes her head at the memory. ‘I’m glad that Luke, Clyde and Rani destroyed my stomach. If they hadn’t, this beautiful planet wouldn’t be here.’

We sit there for a little while. ‘What are you going to do now?’ I ask her.   
‘I might stick around for a little while. I wanted to come back to Earth to apologise to your mother, and I’ve done that. If she wants me to stay, I’ll stay. What are you going to do?’   
‘I don’t have much choice.’   
‘You have a series of choices when you think about it. The first one is what you are going to do now.’   
‘I’m going to continue defending Earth. It’s one of the things I’m best at.’ Ruby smiles.   
‘See, there’s your first decision. You could have walked away, but you don’t. You are persistent. You ready to go back home?’   
‘Not yet. I think I need to be here for a few more minutes.’   
‘Okay,’ Ruby nods. ‘Do you want me to sit here with you?’   
‘Yes, please.’ We continue sitting in the park on a warm Spring afternoon, watching the world around us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the mother-daughter dynamic between Ruby and Sky. 
> 
> Do you guys want me to write a sequel?
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this story.  
> -Cerise


End file.
